Telomere length, arsenic exposure and risk of basal cell carcinoma of skin

Abstract

Telomere length per se a heritable trait has been reported to be associated with different diseases including cancers. In this study based on arsenic exposed 528 cases with basal cell carcinoma of skin (BCC) and 533 healthy controls, we observed a statistically significant association between decreased telomere length and increased BCC risk (OR = 5.92, 95% CI = 3.92-9.01, P<0.0001). We also observed that higher arsenic exposure (>1.32 µg/L) was statistically significantly associated with decreased telomere length (β = -0.026, 95% CI = -0.05--0.003, P = 0.02). The interaction between arsenic exposure and telomere length on BCC risk was statistically significant (P = 0.02). Within each tertile based on arsenic exposure, the individuals with shorter telomeres were at an increased risk of BCC, with highest risk being in the highest exposed group (OR = 16.13, 95% CI = 6.71-40.00, P<0.0001); followed by those in medium exposure group (OR = 5.05, 95% CI = 2.29-10.20, P <0.0001), and low exposure group (OR = 3.44, 95% CI = 1.81-6.54, P = 0.0002). The combined effect of highest arsenic exposure and shortest telomeres on the risk of BCC (OR = 10.56, 95% CI = 5.14-21.70) showed a statistically significant departure from additivity (interaction constant ratio 6.56, P = 0.03). Our results show that in the presence of arsenic exposure, decreased telomere length predisposes individuals to increased risk of BCC, with the effect being synergistic in individuals with highest arsenic exposure and shortest telomeres.

Ultraviolet Radiation and Basal Cell Carcinoma: An Environmental Perspective

“…However, it was suggested that women exposed to arsenic in the air with co-exposure to sunlight at work might be more susceptible to NMSC than those who are not exposed to the sun. In another multi-center case-control study, Srinivas et al (78) observed that contrary to consistent reports about the association between increased telomere length and rising incidence risk of different cancers, among people exposed to arsenic, short telomeres are correlated with increased risk of BCC. Data analysis also showed that arsenic exposure could regulate the direction of the telomere length effect.…”

Investigation of telomere length in young age ischemic stroke patients

“…In one study, it was reported that short telomere length increased the risk of developing colorectal cancer 20 , in another study, short telomere length was associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer in HPV-positive women 21 , and another study, short telomere length was associated with an increased risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin in arsenic exposure. 22 In contrast to these studies, there are two different studies indicating that long telomere length is associated with an increased risk of soft tissue sarcoma, and similarly, long telomere length is associated with an increased risk of developing breast and pancreatic cancer. [23][24] It has been reported that long telomere length is associated with poor survival in breast cancer and renal cell carcinoma and may be a poor prognostic factor.…”